Opening Statements Expected in West Bloomfield Grandmother's Murder Trial

Prosecutors and the attorney for West Bloomfield resident Sandra Layne agreed on a 14-member jury panel  following a day of questioning and vetting in Oakland County Circuit Court Monday, the Detroit News reported.

Opening statements and testimony are expected to begin this morning in Oakland County Circuit Judge Denise Langford Morris' courtroom.

Layne, 75, faces one count of open murder after in the West Bloomfield condominium they shared on Brookview Lane. Hoffman called 9-1-1 and said Layne was the shooter before he died. West Bloomfield police said Layne surrendered to police at her front door, where officers later found a handgun with blood on it. Layne herself was found with blood on her hands and clothing.

According to previous testimony during a preliminary hearing, Layne was hysterical, screaming that she had just shot and killed her grandson, even after being placed in a police car. Defense attorney Jerome Sabbota has argued the shooting was in self defense, and said that on the day of the incident, Layne had been at odds with her grandson, a student at Farmington Central High School who lived away from his parents in Arizona.

If convicted of open murder, a jury can determine whether a defendant is responsible for first-degree murder, which carries a mandatory life sentence without parole or second-degree murder, which can result in a term of up to life with parole, the Detroit News reported.

Read more:

• Grandmother of Slain West Bloomfield Teen Stands Mute
• UPDATE: Grandmother Charged with Murder in Grandson's Shooting